BERLIN, — The German Navy has successfully completed a dual live-fire trial of the Naval LORA ballistic missile, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), in the North Atlantic between Ireland and Iceland.
LORA Missile Fired From German Frigate
Two LORA missiles were launched during the trial from German naval vessels, with the F125-class frigate Sachsen-Anhalt (F224) identified as the launch platform. The missiles were fired from containerized launchers temporarily installed on the frigate’s flight deck.
According to IAI, both missiles followed their planned trajectories, navigated to their targets and completed the engagements with the required precision. The trial also assessed the missile, its naval launcher and command-and-control system, with all test objectives successfully completed.
Part of Germany’s Marine 2035 Programme
The firing was conducted under the German Navy’s Operational Experimentation (OPEX) programme, which supports the “Marine 2035 and Beyond” modernization plan.
OPEX allows the German Navy to test new technologies and operational concepts in conditions designed to reflect real missions. The LORA trial used a configuration that included the missile launcher and a command trailer aboard the German vessel.
German Navy Inspector Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack described the firing as “naval history.” He said the system had demonstrated that it could be deployed from German naval units and that its potential range exceeds anything previously available to the German Navy.
Germany Evaluating More Than 500-km Range
Following the successful trial, Germany plans to advance preparations for procurement of the missile system. German defence officials have referred to a potential range of more than 500 kilometres for the configuration being considered.
IAI’s publicly listed specifications for LORA give the missile an operational range of 90 to 430 kilometres. The missile has a stated circular error probable (CEP) of about 10 metres and uses GNSS/GPS and inertial navigation for guidance.
LORA is approximately 5.2 metres long, 0.62 metres in diameter and weighs about 1.6 tonnes. It is a quasi-ballistic missile that can be launched from land-based mobile launchers or naval vessels and is designed for sea-to-shore and sea-to-sea precision engagements.
North Atlantic Trial
The test area was located between Ireland and Iceland. Preparations were largely kept secret, although shipping and air traffic in the area received warnings approximately 45 days before the firing.
The LORA system is described by IAI as combat-proven and has previously been used operationally by Azerbaijan during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Germany-Israel Defence Cooperation
IAI Chairman Boaz Levy said the successful naval trial demonstrated Israel’s technological capabilities and the defence cooperation between Germany and Israel. He also highlighted the deployment of the Israeli-made Arrow 3 air-defence system on German territory.
IAI CEO Guy Bar Lev said the company was proud to contribute to the strategic cooperation between the two countries and described the live-fire exercise as a significant milestone for LORA.
The operational data collected during the North Atlantic trial will now support the German Navy’s evaluation of future long-range maritime strike capabilities. Germany currently does not have ballistic missiles in its inventory, making the LORA trial an important step in its assessment of ship-launched ballistic missile capability.
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